


Little Giants: an Haikyuu AU

by skylighthart10



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Football | Soccer, Friendship, OC, Team
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:42:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29283975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skylighthart10/pseuds/skylighthart10
Summary: After the success from the boys of the volleyball team, it’s time for the girls’ soccer team to take the spotlight and march their way to victory.Under the command of Aiya Takahashi, this team will go through challenges, adventures, struggles and joy together. After all, the union leads to strength.





	1. Fresh Starts

* * *

It was early in the morning back in Miyagi. The birds were the first annoying little creatures that marked their position as soon as the first rays of sunshine peek through the tree branches. But, just like those annoying little creatures, Takahashi was up as early as she could, getting ready for the day. The young soccer coach of the Karasuno’s high school girls’ team put on the usual track suit that would be a pair of black shorts and an orange t-shirt, covered by the team’s jacket. The hair was pulled back and partially tied in a small bun, allowing the view of the couple of earrings that dangled back and forth.

The old schoolbag was still the only one used by the coach to keep the food for the day as some cereal bars that would be given to the team as a reward for their hard work. The backpack still had some autographs from the old volleyball teams, the old friends. Ukai, Akiteru even Tenma had his name in that old bag. That was honestly the coach’s favorite possession.

Walking to the high school wasn’t the best idea so early in the morning, so the old bike would be the mean of transportation for Takahashi. The peddling was very constant for a while, but it didn’t take long for the coach to realize that on the other side of the street there was another young boy, with bright ginger hair, almost as bright as the Sun, speeding himself to get to his destination almost like he was competing with the coach. Takahashi simply smiled and fastened the pace, increasing the bike’s velocity, carefully dodging every little rock that would make the coach fall to a very bad landing. However, poor ginger boy didn’t have the same luck. The acceleration made him almost fly out of his bike and land with delicate face on the gravel floor.

Takahashi got out of the bike and ran to his aid, checking for any bruises or broken bones. Nothing. The coach sighed in relief and helped the boy up, giving him a firm handshake as he stood firmly on his feet. The comparison with the bright Sun only became stronger to the coach when the young boy smiled and thanked for the help.

“The name’s Shoyo Hinata, I go to the Karasuno High School as well…” he quickly introduced himself, proudly pointing at the coach’s jacket. “Are you a third year or something? I think I know you from somewhere…”

“Let’s say I was a third year once, I’m a coach for the girls soccer team. Aiya Takahashi, pleasure to meet you, Hinata! I heard a lot about you! Takeda-sensei won’t stop mentioning your jumps and spikes!” She introduced herself as well, proudly speaking about the boy’s talents as well.She could see Hinata’s bright flustered face clearly thanks to the compliment. Sure, he tried to brush it off, but Takahashi knew that he was purely happy for that achievement. “As far as I know, you can become Karasuno’s new Tenma, I mean, Little Giant! Sorry, old friends with him!” She smiled and gently scratched the back of her head. “He used to work very hard just like you. However, don’t forget to rest and take care of yourself. Plus, you also have school so…” Interrupted by Hinata’s puppy energy.

“You really knew the Little Giant? How did you meet him? Was he as cool as he was on the court?” He bombarded the coach with a whole list of questions about his inspiration.

She couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s happiness and specially couldn’t say no to it. “Well, I used to be part of the old soccer team and was also the manager of the old volleyball team. I met him there. And yes, he was cool. One of the coolest. Just like Tsukishima, well, at least when he showed up...” she sighed with the last memory from her old classmate.

The ginger looked at her confused. “Tsukishima goes to practice every time, even though he says, “it’s just a club and it doesn’t matter”. He is weird! I really don’t get him. Plus, he is like super smart and super rude!” Hinata explains to the young coach about his teammate and classmate. You could feel the annoyance irradiating from his small body.

“Oh, yeah Kei is pretty much like that, but I mean his brother! Akiteru was an amazing volleyball player, but he simply gave up at some point and joined me and Tanaka in the cheer.” The coach tried her best to explain. “Just please don’t tell Kei about his brother, it makes him moody and, well, weirder than what he already is…” The young decoy looked at her confused again and asked who Tanaka was, realizing it was not the teammate.

Takahashi spent the whole way to the high school explaining and introducing the old crew to the young boy. Surprisingly, a good time. They laughed a lot until they reached the high school’s gates. The young coach wished Hinata a good day, messing his hair a little more. Unlike many others, Hinata smiled with the soft touch from her hand and gave her an unexpected fist bump. Takahashi then headed to the soccer field and got some smaller fields ready for practice later that day.

While waiting for the time to pass, the coach decided to practice herself, some tricks and passes. Some of them made young students stop their track and watch the show she was giving, and others simply kept walking, commenting either some words of envy or the kindest of all compliments to the coach. Between all the show watchers, a special one decided to make all the students get to class. He shoved some and pushed others until the outside was clear from students. The blonde-haired man looked at the young coach with a raised eyebrow. Takahashi finally noticed the silence as she stopped kicking the ball around, finally noticing the fellow coach.

“You really like to show off, don’t you?” Ukai asked with an annoyed expression written all over his face.

“Are you still jealous of the fact that your grandfather liked me more than you?” Takahashi smirked proudly, kicking the ball up to land on her hands. “Or, perhaps, you are jealous that still master my sports and you don’t?”

“Oh please! First of all, the old fart likes everyone more than me, so jokes on you that doesn’t affect me!” He complained loudly enough for the coach to hear him. “Second, I’m a coach just like you, don’t tell me I don’t master my sports, missy! Third, I’m older than you, so respect your elders!” He almost yelled at her, giving her the biggest smile ever of pure amusement. Takahashi, as a team manager would learn from the old coach Ukai the basics of volleyball so she could later help not only the team but the coach himself. That led to a lot of her time training both soccer and volleyball and time with the two Ukais. Consequently, Takahashi became friends of some sort with younger Keisshin, since the two of them would spend full afternoons together with his grandfather.

“Oh, my apologies, senpai! I won’t do it again, at least I’ll try.” She smirked once again. “What are you doing here so early anyways? Your practice is only at night. Late afternoon?” She tried to guess the time of practice, knowing that she was close. “Actually, what are you doing here in specific? This isn’t a volleyball court coach. Plus, you can’t play soccer as far as I know.”

“The old fart wanted you to visit him, ask you how’s your team and how are the boys from my team. Seriously, sometimes I really think he doesn’t give to shits about my capabilities.” Ukai sighed as he entered the filed looking around. He feels slightly overwhelmed with the view. A volleyball court is big, but nothing compared to the soccer field. And it all looked even more surreal when the girl in front of him just speeded herself from one end to another in the matter of some seconds. “But what does he know? Anyways, you wanna join?”

“Sounds awesome, the old fart-” she decided to emphasize the nickname given by the other coach, “needs some company as well. Training little brats all day sounds exhausting, he deserves a break.” That choice of words came out misunderstood to the blonde man, which made him pout in annoyance and calling Takahashi a brat. It took a while for the girl to remind him that his grandfather taught volleyball to young children, leading to very flustered face from Ukai’s side. “You’re such an idiot! I swear, your thick skull really doesn’t learn…” She sighed and kicked the ball over his head, rushing towards it and making a whole new set of tricks, spins and slides that eventually lead to the main kick towards the goal.

“Stop calling me stupid, you dumbass! It’s not like you were the best student either!” He yelled all angry and pissed at the younger coach. “Ugh, you’re so annoying, I don’t understand how your team doesn’t get tired of you…” He commented with a comment that he knew would get to Aiya’s nerves easily.

A gleeful voice was heard complimenting Takahashi’s talents not far from the two coaches. Two girls, a short girl with a rather light brown hair and bright green eyes, with some bright green highlights all over her hair, tucked in two high pig tails, and a taller one, with a beautiful dark skin that shone under the rays of sun, her curly bouncy hair was tied in a small bun like the one the coach had, leaving some curls underneath the bun, loose. Both were wearing the team’s uniform and held the schoolbag on their side. Hearing those compliments from them made Takahashi turn to Ukai with a mischievous smirk of pride and victory over his words. He simply huffed and stepped out of the field, wishing them a good practice and warning Takahashi to not be late to the visit later. She just chuckled and waved sarcastically, noticing the nasty gesture he pointed at her.

“And that’s how you shut a smart mouth!” The short girl smirked looking up at her coach and folded her arms over the chest. “I’m starting to think you like him, coach Takahashi…” She looked over at the other girl with the same mischievous smile.

“Yeah, either that or they wanna destroy each other. Then again love and hate walk together down the road, coach, I would be careful with that heart of yours if I were you.” The curly haired girl said smiling towards the coach waiting for a smart response from her.

“Who are you two to teach me about love and hate? I’m the one who’s a coach here! Now, go settle down your stuff and get your butts back in here for practice!” Takahashi ordered a little angry with the way they were teasing her. She was used to the playful words from the two second years, so she didn’t pay much attention at some point. As they returned, Hana, the smallest girl, picked the ball and started guiding it around the field, training the control and some tricks along the way. She was far too smart when it came to sports, so Aiya would let her practice on her own while the rest of the team arrived and got ready. On the other hand, Yoko, the one with bouncy curls, was practicing her defending skills as a goalkeeper with the coach. Takahashi would give her some tips on how to control the time for her defense.

Later, the captain of the team arrived, the third year, Kiko Watanabe. The team would call her Kiko more often since they had this god-like trust on her and she was born in another country so they would use her first name more often than the last like it was usual. Kiko was born in Brazil, so the love for soccer was introduced to her almost since birth. The captain greeted the coach and the two teammates before getting to the changing room. She tied her long thick hair in a high ponytail and got all the equipment carefully attached to her limbs. As soon as Kiko got back in the field, everyone greeted her warmly and with bright smiles. The young captain asked the practice program for the day and offered herself to help the other players while the coach trained the goalkeepers.

The practice was divided in warmups around the field and a little bit of running as well, just to make the legs work a little faster with the ice-cold wind that would freeze their legs. It felt so painful in the beginning, like the legs were stuck in one position and couldn’t move for a good 5-minute time. After the warmup, the team would be separated, goalkeepers from other players. The goalkeepers would do speed and reflex practice, to master their skills and adapt them to different situations, either distanced kicks or closer ones, faster or slower players, among other situations. It was almost like a challenge to them every practice, but after a game all the hard work was rewarding. For the final part of practice, the team would be divided in two in order to make a small game. Takahashi would often make the first years with little experience face the second and third years, so they could have a notion of how difficult it is to play against their own team, so consequently they would know that playing against other teams would be 10 times worst. The coach was truly competitive, sometimes too much. Kiko would often tell her to calm down and that everything would be okay in the end of the game. Takahashi knew that, of course, she taught them all she knew after all. She had this blind trust on those girls, but sometimes, the nerves took over her body and there was nothing that could hold her back.

“Coach, I have good news!” A male voice was heard from behind Takahashi. That would be Kenta Satoshi, a third year that had the role of team manager. He would try to contact with other teams from around the country in hopes they could get practice games, just like other teams in Karasuno would do. “The girls from Date Tech accepted our practice game challenge!” He completed the information with a huge amount of excitement irradiating from his body. He was still as excited as he was in the first year, which made Aiya quite happy.

<p>“Fantastic, what about the princesses from Aoba Johsai, did they reply to the invitation?” Takahashi asked curious. She missed the first-year rivalry between Hana and her cousin. It was almost like an action movie between two little girls, trying to prove their best and show everyone else on the field who’s the boss. Besides that, Seijoh was one of the strongest teams in the whole country, leading most of their players to the national teams.

“Yeah, they will be there as well. Almost every high school from the prefecture will be there, in fact. It’ll be quite the show actually!” He affirmed looking at the list of notes and things to do as manager. “By the way, I would like to ask if my little sister can replace me one day. The swimming competition will be at the same time as practice next Thursday and I can’t miss.” Takahashi simply answered that it’s all okay, if the young girl is ready to help the team like he does. Of course, Kenta defended his sister’s capabilities and assured the coach that he had everything under control. His big self-esteem even led him to promise to bring home the gold, as a reward for everything that was taught to him as well as every favor and friendship.

Satoshi talked like every third year in their last competition. They always promise to bring home the gold. The trophy. The price. They always promise that, but Takahashi knew that only the strong reached victory. Back in her days, she wasn’t strong enough to bring the gold to Karasuno, ending in fourth place in the national soccer championship. But, however, she knew that the fight wasn’t done. It wouldn’t be the last time that the championship would hear the name Aiya Takahashi. That was her promise.

The practice was over.

The girls gathered around Takahashi to hear the news about the future games in the Date Tech gym and asked them to get the permissions to go. She looked at the second years that would have a test that week and wished them best of luck and even offered them some notes from her old classes, corrected by Takeda himself so they could study together and get the best grade possible. To the first years that joined that year, she was finally able to reward them with the team’s uniform. They were clearly excited to finally be part of a team like that, where their talents would finally be appreciated. Being a girl in soccer is being constantly underrated, which made Takahashi work harder to hype those girls to do their best always. No matter who they are facing, who is watching or who is hating on them. They would always be her girls, no matter what. That unconditional support was not only given by the coach, but also the third years, who assure the young ones as much as they could. Especially their captain. The third years thanked the coach for the practice and helped gather the material before leaving for the other classes.

Kiko, Kenta and the other third years offered to buy the younger players some treats in order to welcome them to the team and make sure they feel welcomed, as well as motivate the second years to give their best as per usual. That was a tradition since the beginning, which increased their connection a lot. In return, the first and second years wouldn’t only give their best, but also give small gifts to their senpais before big competitions or big occasions. Takahashi wasn’t surprised by their companionship after seeing that happen in front of her eyes.

The young captain headed towards the classroom, but was quickly stopped by Hana and Yoko, the two of them looking clearly worried. The second years knew how intelligent their captain was, knowing as well how her kindness controlled her actions. So, before any difficult test they would rush to Kiko for help, always with the same desperate look on their faces. Sometimes they didn’t even need to say anything, Kiko would just set a time and place to meet them and ask them to bring the books, notes and notebooks, if needed.

“Let me guess, study date?” The captain asked, visibly amused with their expressions. She chuckled softly allowing the entrance of other students in the classroom. The girl grabbed two little cards to offer the two girls with her address and phone. “Call me two hours before arriving, please. I’ll get my room ready to help you out. Also,” she said fixing her uniform and bag, “you literally have Ennoshita in your class. He’s a very smart boy and would be more than welcome to give you some help as well.”

“She’s right, he is more than welcome to help!” One of Kiko’s classmates, Daichi Sawamura himself, responded, right before walking in the classroom. His voice not only made Kiko jump with the sudden appearance but also blush like a little girl in love. “Now, excuse us, girls, but we have a class to attend and so do you…” He spoke with his usual serenity.

“Ugh, always a dad, Sawamura-san…” Hana spoke with a smirk on her face. The little girl thanked her captain for the help. “Take care of our captain, Sawamura-san! We’ll take care of Noya-kun!” She joked to the much taller boy in front of her, making him chuckle softly, saluting them almost as a thank you. After all, he knew better than most how hard it was to handle Nishinoya.

“Sorry about them, Sawamura-san…” Kiko excused her teammates behaviour, making Daichi reply that his team was pretty much the same. He was used to the joke being used towards him and admitted that sometimes it did feel like that. The girl chuckled softly and offered him to walk in first, but it ended the other way around. Both sat in their assigned places and waited for the teacher to arrive and for the class to begin.


	2. Coaching Experience

The class seemed to take more than 4 hours for the young Hana and Yoko. Their impatient bodies wanted to go back outside, mess around the campus and just have some fun until the day was over. But while that didn’t happen, they just kept exchanging little notes to each other with drawings and jokes, that made the two laugh uncontrollably.

Behind them, a very annoyed Chikara Ennoshita watched the two laughing and joking around, not being able to understand a single word from the teacher thanks to them. That made Nishinoya, the talented libero from the volleyball team, pull one of Tachibana’s pig tails and tell her to shut up a little. At first, she was confused, since she knew that Nishinoya wasn’t the kind of student to pay that much attention either, but Yoko pointed towards Ennoshita, who was clearly angry with their behavior, making the small girl understand what was happening.

As soon as class was over, Hana got up from her seat and walked towards Ennoshita, grabbing his uniform tightly enough to make him stop his tracks and look at her. Again, the height difference between her and the boy made her feel slightly uncomfortable. There was no fear, whatsoever. It just felt weird to be like a little kid next to someone that is the same age as her. Not minding that, Hana looked up at Ennoshita, guilt covering her face for distracting him earlier in class.

“Look, Enno, I’m really sorry for my behavior earlier,” she apologized, “I was terribly bored, plus English is the easiest subject we have…” She interrupted herself realizing how dumb that excuse was. “What a dumb excuse! Goodness Tachi, you’re better than this…”

Ennoshita just held her shoulders, almost like trying to hold her from flying away. “It’s okay, Tachi. It’s not a big deal, just please try to control your giggles.” He asked sounding like a true gentleman, calming her down immediately. You know the power Enno holds when he can calm down an excited puppy like Hana. “I really don’t you to get in trouble for not paying attention, that’s all…”

The small girl nodded with a warm smile, letting go of the boy’s uniform and giving a quick bow in appreciation. She offered to have lunch with her, which he gladly accepted as long as he could bring some teammates as well. Hana looked at Yoko who nodded gladfully, enjoying the company from the volleyball team. Even Nishinoya looked way to excited to hear that.

When it came to the first years, Kenta’s sister was far to focused on her notes to even realize the class is dismissed. Her hair would fall softly over her forehead, making her look like she just woke up. Jin would only realize when a fellow classmate would poke her shoulder so she could notice the empty classroom. The girl apologized quietly to him, gathering her stuff carefully and organizing it in her bag.

Outside the classroom, a group of girls were waiting for her. Their looks weren’t so friendly, in fact, they had a threatening glare towards Jin, like they were looking to harm her somehow.

“Look if it isn’t Jin-chan!” The girl in the middle said stopping the young Satoshi in her tracks. “I heard your brother hurt my sister last week when she confessed to him.” She informed Satoshi, like it was her fault that it happened. “Does he have a girlfriend? Is it that ugly soccer girl that hangs out with him?” The same girl kept asking Satoshi stuff she didn’t even have an answer about.

Jin and Kenta were pretty close, but never got in each other’s business unless it was really needed. Right there and then, Jin felt like she needed her brother more than life itself. Her hands were trembling, barely holding her bag anymore. As the girls stepped further towards her, she stepped backwards until her back was finally against the wall. There was nowhere else to run and the three girls in front of her made sure to let her know that.

Right when Jin needed the most, two little guardian angels came to her rescue. Kiko and Kenta noticed the situation and quickened their pace towards the young girl. Kenta didn’t hesitate in holding his sister as soon as he was close enough to her. On the other hand, Kiko, motivated by old memories of the same situation, grabbed the bully’s collar and pulled her close enough to not cause a scene.

“Listen here, you little brat! She has nothing to do what her brother does or doesn’t. Threatening her won’t help at all your sister’s situation. Plus, I can assure you, he’s not interested in me or her or any other girl you see him with, got it, smartass?” Kiko spoke with a clear anger in her voice. Kiko and Jin knew something about Kenta that most people didn’t, including most of his family. “Now, beat it!”

The girls tried to play it off, fixing their uniforms and hair. They strutted away like a group of penguins, like they weren’t embarrassed of that scene.

Kenta was quite worried about his sister’s situation. She was still nervous and trembling a lot, but she felt much safer now that he was there. Kenta fixed her messy hair and wiped a little tear from eye, the one that was earlier threatening to fall down her rosy cheek. Kiko looked at them and patted Kenta’s back softly, stroking the girl’s hair the same way.

“Everything is okay, Satoshi-chan, they are gone, plus,” Kiko told the two of them, “if this ever happens again, I’ll talk to the principle or to Takeda-sensei.” She offered her help, receiving two nods from both of them.

While that, Takahashi was making her way towards old Ukai’s house. Casually whistling and riding her bike to the sound of the tall trees, dancing to the wind. It’s been so long since she was with Ukai Sr. in his home. She was a barely graduated student back then. Despite being younger than Keishin, the two of them would treat other like they were the same age and with the same jokes and with the same bickering. Ukai Sr. always found hilarious when the two of them would break in a fist fight, knowing that Aiya wouldn’t take Ukai Jr.’s insults towards girls and Keishin, in defense of his words, wouldn’t lose to a girl.

As soon as she arrived to his house, she could already hear his kids practicing in the old volleyball court in the old man’s backyard. They sounded so happy. It really brought memories of the old team days. She knocked on the door and waited for someone to open. It did take a while, but eventually one of the little boys came to the door and opened for her. The poor thing almost jumped seeing how tall she was compared to him. Takahashi simply greeted him with a high five, taking his hand and leading him back to the old court.

A volleyball came flying towards the little boy, but fortunately, Aiya caught it on time. She served the ball towards the old man, that turned it into a set and another little boy spiked in the other field, making another point for himself. As usual, the coach’s capabilities were still untouched by the old age. They seemed even better, actually.

“Okay, break time, little guys! Snacks are on the bench…” He spoke to his pupils, before walking to Aiya and greet her with an almost fatherly hug. His hugs always made her feel welcome to his house, like she was actually part of the family. “I hope you didn’t scare little Ishikawa over there…” He chuckled loudly in amusement.

“I think he was just surprised, coach. He looks like a brave boy. They all do…” she smiled towards the little kids sitting in the bench, drinking milk and eating milkbread. “You haven’t lost your talents, coach! I thought your old mind would be quite tired to remember the rules by now, but you’re better than me!” Aiya pointed out as a joke, but Ukai always took that jokes a little to far and smacked the back of her head. She still chuckled softly, rubbing the place of the smack softly.

“You’re still reckless. I like that! So, how have you been? Still coaching those girls?” He asked curious, dribbling the volleyball in a constant and slow pace. Aiya told him all about the new captain and the second years were still as feisty as usual and how excited the new first years were. “Finally a good coaching experience! I can’t say the same about Keishin, those boys aren’t easy to deal with, and you know his patience isn’t the best…”

“Oh, they are pretty good actually! They are getting better everyday according to the news.” She responded to his comment about Keishin’s capabilities. “You can’t be so harsh on him coach,” Takahashi almost asked him, “he really cares about what he does, he believes those knuckleheads more than he believes in himself.”

Ukai Sr. held the ball in his hands and looked at it, like some memory was playing in his head. He trusted his grandson’s skills, of course he did. He knew that that kid was an excellent setter, but sometimes he was too much like the old man and that was the thing he feared. He didn’t want his grandson to give up on everything and then hide away. He wanted him to shine, like he once did.

“Coach,” Aiya called for his attention, “he is an amazing coach, just like you. I promise he won’t let you down. Just have a little faith in him.” She asked him again getting her hair ruffled as a response. She giggled softly just like he did and took the ball from his hand. “Mind if I join? I’m not the best, but I can help. For the old days.”

Ukai couldn’t say no to such proposition from the girl’s side. He reunited the boys on the court again and separated. With him and Aiya would stay one of the boys, forming a team, leaving the other three on the other side for another team. Takahashi served once again and from the other side of the court, a brilliant receive from one of the boys. And just like that the game started. It lasted until the little boys had to go home.

However, Ukai Sr. and Takahashi didn’t seem tired in the slightest. So, they kept going. The ball flying from one side to another.

In the doorway, not far from the court, the younger Ukai stood there, watching those two idiots play together. She didn’t change a thing. Inside, she was still happy to learn a sport she would never really understand but enjoys it with all her heart. The lovestruck smile on his face quickly disappear, realizing how stupid it was to remember those things.

The last spike ended on the old man’s hands. He was breathless, beads of sweat covering his forehead and already feeling the cold of the night on his shoulders. His arms were pinkish from the receives and his hands were burning from all the spikes against the young girl. She was still incredibly energetic. That gave him life somehow. That pipsqueak. It didn’t take long for him to notice Keishin in the doorway, eyeing the two of them, noticing the dumb smile on his face.

Ikkei Ukai offered Takahashi to have a shower first and offered her an old yukata that belonged to his beloved wife from when she was younger. Aiya accepted the offer with a grateful expression, bowing towards the elder with appreciation. As she walked away, the old man smacked his grandson’s arm with the most amused expression the young one has ever seen.

“What’s with the dumb struck smile, huh?” He asked quite loudly, getting a mere huff as an answer from his grandson side. “I know you, Keishin, you’re not like this with women and yet you are for this one. The one that was, and I quote, like a sister…”

“You’re just a delusional old fart. You’re just seeing things.” He said sitting down on the floor in front of the table where he left the food, setting it on the table so they could eat. “She is like a sister to me, an annoying brat, that’s all she is.” That comment didn’t really convince the old man. However, Keishin was pretty certain of what he said. She was just another girl in his life, another one for him to ignore and just move on.

“I may be an old fart,” Ikkei stated, “but I lived enough to know what I see.” He finished with a warm smile towards his kid. He could be terribly wrong because it was hurtful see his own grandson behaving like that. He just wanted to believe otherwise. “She really supports you, you know? The girl that you find annoying thinks you’re an excellent coach, you should feel proud of that statement!”

“Oh, because she’s just like you! She knows how to coach a team like a pro, isn’t it? Well, let me tell you, I’m doing just fine! They trust me and I don’t need anyone else to tell me if I can or cannot coach that group of crackheads…” Keishin spoke loudly, tired of people trying to tell him that he is good when he knows it. Aiya heard him, but only showed up when he was done talking.

She sat by his side, out of respect for Ukai Sr.’s wife, thanking for the food before turning to Keishin. “I actually saw your practices a couple of times…” Takahashi admitted quietly. “The way you handled their differences was incredible. I took that as an example for my own team, Ukai…” Her words came out almost as a whisper when she spoke his name, almost like she was scared of being yelled at.

Yet, young Ukai simply nodded, not being able to form words after seeing her wear his grandmother’s yukata and hearing her use him as an example. Ikkei just ate as those two sat there looking at their food. Deep down, they all knew they were doing or they did their best. There were no regrets.

Back in Tachibana’s place, Hana was trying her best to do her Japanese homework with the help of her own old lady. Hana lived in a small farm since she was one year of age with her father and her grandmother. Her father was in Tokyo for work, so during that time, Hana would help her granny with housework and working on the farm as well. That was something Tachibana always loved to do and never complained when it came to feed the animals or even take care of the cows and goats.

“Lola*, can you help me here? I don’t understand what this means exactly…” Hana asked softly, holding her grandma’s arm softly. Despite being almost an adult, Hana still behaves like a little girl around her grandmother. She didn’t have a reason for it, maybe it made her grandma happy and maybe it made herself feel happy. After the help from the older lady, Hana thanked her favor and gave her a quick hug before finishing her homework.

“Your dad is arriving tomorrow, dearie! I hope you finished cleaning your room and studying to greet him properly…” The old lady said with a little mischievous smile on her lips. She knew very well how Hana was. If the things weren’t done on time, she would spend all night fixing it if needed.

And so, it happened.

Yoko on the other hand sat on the top bunk bed reading quietly before falling asleep, while her little sister kept telling her about her day. Nakamura never really paid much attention to what her sister said, but sometimes when the little girl climbed to her bed and hugged her body oh so tightly, Yoko knew something was wrong. The little girl often heard some comments about her skin tone, since her darker skin wasn’t well seen in the school, and Yoko knew how it felt. Those comments were cruel and just so terrible.

“Yoko, why don’t they like me? You always say I look like a princess, but they say I look like a weird monster…” The little girl asked her sister, starting to climb up to the top bunk bed. “They say I’m not normal…” Her voice was shaky, and one could already see tears in her little eyes.

Nakamura didn’t waste a second setting her book down and picking up her sister, sitting her on her lap. The little girl’s sobs just made Yoko worry more about her and held her tighter hoping she would calm down a little. “You know, I also went through that. I know they are mean. But you really are a princess! The strongest one there is. And next year, you’re going to another school, meet a more princesses like you, okay?” The goalkeeper assured her little sister. “You can’t give up though!”

The little girl simply nodded, her head still on her sister’s chest, hugging her tightly. Almost asleep. Yoko placed her softly by her side, covering her with the bedsheets and holding her close to her body. Eventually, their mother walked in and saw the two of them like that, a warm feeling taking over the woman’s body. They were safe together. Her sweet girls.

Back in the Satoshi household, Kenta and Jin were still finishing their homework. He kept looking at her writing and it looked way wigglier than what was normal. She was still nervous. However, not a word was said.

Later that night, when the two were in their rooms, Kenta started sobbing quietly against the pillow. He wishes he could just end that suffering that was destroying him in the inside. And now, it was starting to be a problem for Jin as well, which was the last thing he wanted. The end of that was so close and yet so far.

Jin, on the other end, tried to calm herself before falling asleep. Sometimes she just wanted to be free from that secret as well, just end all the mystery and free both her brother and she from those chains. Not yet though, they needed to be ready for every consequence.

Suddenly, a knock was heard on Jin’s door. Kenta asked permission to walk in and join her. She answered quickly, allowing him to walk in. Her calm expression changed in a blink of an eye, jumping out of bed and rushing towards her brother, holding him into a hug. Kenta just sobbed more and more. She was so understanding towards him.

“This will end soon, okay?” She assured him, brushing her fingers through his hair. “You can do this, Kenta, I know you can!” Jin spoke again quietly. Her nerves were now eased and so were his. They sat a little with each other, talking and studying a little longer, until Kenta was sure that the two were alright. He only left the room after kissing his sister’s forehead gently and tucking her in.

“Good night, little sis! Thank you for understanding…” he said, watching her drift away to the land of dreams. He could never thank her enough for what she would go through because of that stupid secret, but he’d make sure she knew how he felt and how he appreciated her help.

It was pretty late at night when Takahashi left old coach Ukai’s house. This time she wasn’t riding the bike back home, she simply took it by her side and walked under the moonlight. The cold wind making her shiver under the old yukata. It was almost like an old movie scene. It’s been too long since she felt that pretty. By her side, Ukai Jr. made her some company since his house wasn’t far from hers. Sometimes she would joke saying that he just slept in the store, but she knew it wasn’t the truth.

“Look, thank you for accepting to visit the old man. I haven’t seen him this energetic in a while…” Ukai spoke quietly, his hands in the jean’s pockets. She said it was more than fine for her. She would gladly visit the old man more often if needed. “Invite him to one of your games, maybe. I bet he’d love to see your work on those girls.”

Takahashi would say that it wasn’t such a bad idea, but the fact that they could lose and would lead to a false judgement from her side terrified her. So, Aiya simply made an excuse.

“Tell you what, when we go to Tokyo from the mid-season championship games, I take him. I’m sure he’d love to see old Nekomata as well…” she chuckled, waiting for Ukai’s jokes to start.

“I can’t imagine anything else but those two old farts complaining at each other as they drink. I can’t believe I’m going to face them next week…” He sighed, clearly scared and even tired to say the least. Takahashi rubbed his back to calm his nerves and assured them that everything would be fine. “Yeah, let’s hope for the best…”

“Keishin, you are an amazing coach, and you have an incredible team. The odds are on your side. This isn’t like when you were a setter, this is new blood. Sure, there’s no Tenma, no Akiteru, but you’re there and the boys are there to support you back.” She said stopping him in his tracks. “I’m not letting you out of all people go down before going to a challenge…”

Ukai took a deep breath exhaling to the sky and nodding towards Aiya, showing his appreciation for her words. She was really still the young manager. The unconditional support wasn’t only for her team, but for everyone that surrounded her. No matter the talent, the experience, the age, the skin color, no matter what. Aiya would be there in the cheer, supporting them.

“Now, wipe that frown out of your dumb face, coach. Think about your break tomorrow. Being in the store, alone, smoking your disgusting cigarettes and just relaxing.” Takahashi reminded him, making him smile a bit as they started walking once again.

Everything would be okay.


	3. Old Crows

The next morning, outside Takahashi’s door, was a motorbike ridden by a girl about her age. Taking of the helmet, a bob of bright blonde hair balanced a bit and shone under the multiple rays of sun. She pulled the rest from her bike and walked to Takahashi’s door, knocking multiple times, calling her name as well.

“Aiya Takahashi, you better come outside before I break in!” The girl threatened as a joke. “Come on! Come on!” She repeated and knocked on the door again.

Takahashi was left without an option. It was obvious that by the voice it was her old classmate and great friend Saeko Tanaka. That girl would make everyone’s spirits lift whether they wanted or not. There was something about her that made that happen, but Takahashi never really found out what it was.

The coach opened the door and allowed her to come in, but Saeko’s arm went around her neck right in that moment, pulling the old friend back in the house. With a kick from the blonde girl, the door was closed shut and the two headed to the small kitchen.

“I heard you had a break today! And I also heard Tenma is in town and Akiteru is free as well. That being said you’re joining us! I don’t wanna hear excuses…” She spoke with her normal assertive tone. Saeko held the coach’s hands, waiting for an answer.

“Can I get ready at least?” Aiya asked, her voice still tired from being barely awake. Saeko nodded after feeling the scent of Aiya’s morning breath, giving her the disgusted look. “Don’t make that face, you’re the one who made me leave the bed this early in my day-off…” Aiya complained to her, making the blonde girl chuckle softly.

Takahashi returned to her room and looked at the old yukata from Ukai’s grandmother. She had to return it, before she would forget it. Putting the old cargo pants and brown turtleneck shirt, Takahashi left the room to the bathroom where she found Saeko checking her looks. “I swear, I don’t understand why you care about the way you look so much. Get out, let me brush my teeth!”

Saeko simply sat on the toilet watching Aiya brush the teeth and finishing her hygiene routine by tying her hair in a ponytail. The blonde girl softly pushed the dark-haired girl out of her house, only allowing her to close the door. Outside was waiting a figure that was about as tall as Aiya and slightly taller than Saeko.

“I hope you missed your old kouhai!” Saeko said motioning towards Tenma that an annoyed expression on his face. “Oi! Lighten up!” Tanaka nudged his side pointing towards the old manager.

“Honestly, I’m still half asleep, I can’t believe you forced me to leave the bed so early…” he sighed completely tired and half asleep. Aiya chuckled how he was still the absolute same, just a little more grownup. “However, it’s nice to see you again Hashi-San!” He spoke in a slightly happier mood, his hands awkwardly going to his pockets.

“Same goes for you! Wait! I know what you’re doing here…” Aiya spoke looking at Saeko with a soft glare, filled with happiness way deep inside. “Now we only need Aki-kun!” She said and got a sigh from Tenma again.

Not far from their location was arriving a car, driven by a tall blonde man, well dressed and looking quite happy. It was like he heard them calling. The older Tsukishima brother was there as well. The old group was back together.

It was visible in Aiya’s face the happiness that reunion brought her. She would often hang out with Saeko, but the other two boys were pretty rare. Only in situations like the one she was in that moment. She missed Tsukishima’s warm hugs and conversations and Udai’s wise jokes and memories from their old days. Somehow everything was coming back to her and it never felt so warm.

After pulling over, Tsukishima left the car and walked to the group and greeted everyone with his warm smile. One could say he was the perfect gentleman. He greeted both girls with a polite bow that was followed by the warmest of hugs and Tenma was greeted with an old signature handshake from their old days. Tenma was still hurt about Akiteru abandoning the team, but it was something they didn’t bother him as much as it used to. Akiteru could always count on his support as long as he was happy.

After talking for a bit, the group decided to go to the old park where they used to study and help each other in times of need. But, before heading there, Aiya asked Saeko to stop at Ukai’s store to return something. It was obvious that Tanaka would make the joke of returning his heart since she stole it from him and Aiya almost was the cause of an accident for shoving her so harshly. The girl was used to teasing her friend since they were young, so that was nothing different. However, they did stop at his store and warned the boys to keep going to the park and get the stuff ready.

Aiya asked for Tanaka to wait for her so she could give back the old yukata to Ukai, but Saeko just forgot her manner and followed her in, mostly to see what she was handing to the blonde man. Takahashi walked to Ukai who almost immediately stood up to greet her, hoping he would have some work to do that early in the morning, but was kind of disappointed when he saw the yukata in her hands. She thanked him and his grandfather for allowing her to keep the yukata for the night and asked to get her some meat buns for the way. But right when she was about to pay the food, he stopped her. Takahashi just looked up confused.

“It’s on the house and take the yukata. My grandma doesn’t use it anyway…” He said with his calm expression, putting the meat buns in the box and inside a bag so she could take them. “Thank you for the care though…”

She simply nodded with a warm smile, but Saeko quickly jumped on her and tried to make her change into the yukata, giving her the excuse that it was warm and sunny, so it would be perfect. Yet, Aiya said that she couldn’t, not only because she had no place to change, but also because it was an old piece of clothing. She didn’t want to ruin it.

“Come on, don’t be a party pooper! You are going to be mistaken with Tenma someday because you always wear those clothes. Just this once, also,” she stopped as she walked to the other side of the store, bringing back a pair of traditional sandals and hair decorations. “look at what Coach has in the store!” She handed to Aiya with a teasing smile, seeing how flustered Ukai was getting. “I bet Ukai wouldn’t mind letting you borrow these for a day…”

“Saeko, please stop. I’ll pay for the buns and the sandals and whatever that is.” Aiya said in annoyance. “Just please stop acting like that…”

“If you want, there’s a changing room in the back for the employees, if you’d like…” Ukai started before being rudely interrupted by Saeko.

“She would love that!”

Aiya wanted to curse her existence as she headed to the old employee room to change. The pearl-colored yukata covered her body perfectly, just like the night before. The reddish piece of fabric that tightened around her waist and completed the look made her look fancier than the usual tom boy clothes. Her soft hair covered in dark blue highlights seemed to shine brighter than before, tied in a perfect ponytail and careful decorated with some hairpins with flowers. The whole looked was completed with a pair of traditional wooden sandals that were just perfect for her feet. She sighed once all was ready.

In the store, Saeko was trying her best to make Ukai crack admitting his old crush over Aiya. Still, Ukai was smarter than that. He was used to those tricks coming from the young blonde girl. She could ask him if he were looking for someone or if he liked someone with every single word in the dictionary, he would know the perfect way to not answer every time. He was a high school coach after all, he knew how to deal with that. Suddenly, Saeko stopped the questionnaire and looked at Aiya’s figure leaving the changing room. Ukai found weird that the blonde stopped questioning him and looked the same way to see what was so fascinating that made her be quiet, but he couldn’t blame her.

Both blondes were starstruck by how radiant the traditional wear made Aiya look. She looked like true nobility or even like an actual princess in their eyes. It wasn’t usual to see her dressed like that. Her old bangs, already overgrown, covered her left eye partially, her hair shinning like she was under the bright daylight. Truly fascinating.

“Tanaka can you please hold my clothes or put them in the bike, please? I’ll be right there.” She asked innocently, handing her clothes to Saeko. The girl simply nodded and headed to the bike, still not believing her eyes. Aiya was actually wearing something girly and she looked beautiful. “Ukai, please, I can’t let you offer so much, so here. This is all I have with me. Please, accept it.” The young coach put on the counter, looking down in gratitude to his previous offer.

“Next meal is on me. You can’t say no…” He suggested, accepting her money to pay the stuff. “And thank you for keeping the yukata. I can’t wait for my grandma to see you like this one day.” He smiled proudly. His grandma worked in a farm and would often bring food to sell in the store really early in the morning, so it was almost impossible to catch her on time. Just like Ukai Sr, his wife was a hard-working woman and a great commander. Ukai was really proud of his old farts.

Aiya smiled and waved, thanking him again before leaving, just to see Saeko waiting by the bike for the young coach to get back. Takahashi clumsily climbed onto the bike adjusting the yukata so she could be comfortable. As soon as Saeko sat as well, Aiya held her closely, feeling her body jump with the sudden embrace, making her laugh softly. The bike was on and ready to roll.

Holding Saeko slightly closer so the wind wouldn’t ruin her looks that she took so long to put together, Aiya started to drift off to dreamland. The soft side from the young coach made Saeko blush slightly and smile like a little kid. As soon as they arrived at the park, the blonde girl smacked Aiya’s leg softly to warn her of their arrival.

The two walked side by side, getting weird looks from older ladies and drool from some boys that skated nearby. Saeko looked like she was about to bark at every person in the area around them, while Aiya just didn’t mind and held her own hands in front of her stomach, like she had her hoodie on. Not far from them, their dear boys waved so they could see where they set everything, which made Takahashi pull Saeko by her wrist to speed themselves to the little camping spot the boys created.

“What happened to your clothes, Takahashi?” Akiteru asked noticing the complete change in the coach’s outfit. “Not complaining or anything, it’s just been a while since I saw you in something girly or well…” he stopped to think a good word to describe that look, “traditional?” He wondered, chuckling softly.

“Saeko forced me to keep it and make a scene with it, now she’ll be our guard dog to keep weirdos away. Isn’t that right, Tanaka?” Aiya asked looking down at Saeko with a fake smile like she didn’t just say something that would be considered insulting. The fact that Tanaka actually said that it was exactly her job to grant Aiya some peace, even if it meant barking at people, didn’t surprise anyone present.

Both boys laughed with the whole situation, which made Aiya’s annoying grew bigger deep inside her. But she was there to have some fun and relaxation.

The day was either spent talking or buying stuff to eat. The talks would go from old memories to stories about their works and things that would happen in their lives at home. While Saeko and Akiteru had the chance of talking about their brothers, Aiya would talk about her girls and how they were getting better every time and Tenma would spend his time talking about the stuff he would write to publish at his work.

Later that day, back in Karasuno High, Yoko and Hana were about to leave and go to home when both Noya and Ennoshita stopped them. They almost felt when the two boys pulled their backpacks. The girls looked at them dead in the eyes, with clear annoyance.

“Come with us!” Nishinoya ordered, looking all high and mighty. Typical, thought the girls, but trusted them and followed them to the gym.

The gym was completely empty besides the figure of three people that sat in the center of the court. You could hear a strong male voice explaining the old note he held. By his side, the girls’ captain completed what he said, and gave examples to the other boy, this one with a pretty recognizable buzz cut. The four students sat by their side and joined the study section.

“You girls remember Tanaka-san? Tanaka, in case you forgot, these are Yoko and Hana.” Kiko introduced them again. “Also, Azumane-san, these are my girls.” The captain said putting a hand on his shoulder to call his attention to them.

Both Tanaka and Asahi greeted the girls and welcomed both Ennoshita and Nishinoya back to the circle. Yoko noticed that Narita and Kinnoshita weren’t there, but Enno simply said they preferred to study alone.

The whole group of second years heard their senpais explanations and examples for their tests and eventually made a questionnaire, specially prepared for each one of them. Kiko made for her girls and Asahi for the boys, but they would both correct it together once they were done. If one of the questions was wrong, that question would be asked to the whole group, so the third years would try to gather common doubts for another study session.

Despite being on different classes, Kiko and Asahi would get together quite often to study or to spend some time relaxing before a game or exam. Asahi, being the anxious boy he is, really appreciated her company. Her talks sometimes reminded him of Daichi’s, but ten times calmer and without so much teasing behind her voice. On the other hand, Asahi wasn’t exactly the best and he was well aware of that. So, his support would be little art dates, where Kiko could learn how to paint or sketch and Asahi would keep trying to make some new designs for his ideas. Kiko really liked that time they spent together.

Back in the Satoshi household, everything was really calm. Jin and Kenta would help each other during homework and studied quietly next to each other. Kenta would often show a picture of a weird looking animal from his science textbook to Jin and joke around to make her smile, always with success. Jin would do the same, but instead of making jokes about the animal, she would say it looked like her brother, leading to a very joyful pillow fight.

After the fight, the two of them were clearly tired and their jet-black hairs were a complete mess. But that didn’t stop them from having a good laugh. Like every night before, Kenta hugged his sister and thanked her for the help she has been giving her. Jin would thank back, knowing that the reason he was thanking her was completely different. Keeping a secret like that was hard, but she wouldn’t let a single bit of it slip out of her mouth.

Aiya returned home with Akiteru and thanked the older Tsukishima for the ride home. She carried a bag with her clothes and some food that was left and walked calmly to her door. Once she was actually indoors, she set down the bag and walked to the bathroom to see how tired she looked. Her hair was still untouched, and the outfit was practically immaculate. It was almost like magic.

The coach freed her hair and got out of the yukata, putting it aside to wash it as soon as she could. She didn’t even dare to have a shower so late at night, so she simply went under the warm sheets in underwear. A choice she would truly regret in the next morning. Just before falling asleep, she checked her texts and saw this picture of Ukai Sr.’s wife when she was younger, wearing the yukata.

“You two are identical. Thought you should know…”

Aiya simply smiled and settled the phone down, before falling peacefully asleep after that day.


End file.
